Organ donation should be a national movement: Vice President

New Delhi, January 18, 2018:The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has called upon the people of the country to turn Organ Donation into a National Level Mass Movement. He also asked people leaving the country for better opportunities to come back and serve the motherland – Learn, Earn & Return, he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor Shri Banwarilal Purohit, State Health Minister Dr. C. Vijaya Baskar and Health Secretary Dr. J. Radhakrishnan were also present at the event to celebrate successful completion of One thousand liver transplantations in Tamil Nadu, in Chennai today.

The Vice President said that Organ Donation is a noble way of living beyond death. We must encourage people on the importance of Organ Donation and make them participate in such righteous cause. It is the best way to live after death, he said.

Voicing concerns over the rise of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), particularly among youngsters, the Vice President said that the present-day lifestyles are hugely contributing to this menace. Avoiding consumption of junk food and alcohol, eating a balanced diet, ending sedentary lifestyles and doing regular exercises or Yoga-Asanas are essential for people, particularly the youth, to remain healthy and not fall prey to various diseases, he said.

The Vice President said that complex procedures like liver transplantation must be in the reach of common man. One of the ways to make it more affordable is to create the necessary expertise and facilities in government hospitals like what Tamil Nadu is doing, he said.

He further said that health insurance schemes must cover wider segments of population and procedures like liver and heart transplants must be included so that nobody is denied access to badly needed medical treatment for want of affordability. Partnerships need to be forged between Public and Private Healthcare Institutions to ensure quality and affordable treatment to the common man with the Government providing subsidy if needed, he added.